Washington, D.C. (February 23, 2024) | Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), Chairman of the House Administration Committee's Oversight Subcommittee, released the following information related to the construction of the infamous gallows of January 6, 2021.

One of the most well-known images from January 6, 2021, is the gallows erected on the grounds of the United States Capitol that morning, perfectly framing the Capitol dome. Photos of the gallows were featured prominently by the Select Committee to investigate January 6th, and have also become a symbol used by President Biden’s Administration when discussing the events of January 6 and included in his re-election campaign. Despite the infamy of this image, the individuals who constructed the gallows have never been identified.  

Today, the House Administration Committee's Oversight Subcommittee is releasing information and asking: who are these people and why did they build the gallows?

“It is inconceivable that a gallows could be constructed on U.S. Capitol property and left up all day,” said Rep. Loudermilk. “These men arrived early in the morning, several hours before the rally even started or anyone had gathered, to construct the gallows platform, yet this structure was allowed to stay intact for all to see. These actions raise more serious and troubling questions. Why didn’t the U.S. Capitol Police take down the gallows once it was seen on Capitol property, and why have the individuals never been identified? I plan to get to the bottom of this." 

Summary of Investigative Findings

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on January 6, 2021, a white full-size van parked north of Constitution Avenue, where three passengers unloaded a large bundle of lumber with wheels. After unloading, the group walked the bundle across Constitution Avenue and onto the grass at Union Square. They were then joined by two more people arriving by cab at the corner of 1st and C Streets NW.   

Between 6:30 a.m. and 7:15 a.m., the group constructed the platform and two main pillars of the gallows, only leaving off the crossbeam. During this time, the apparent group leader along with one other person, left the group and walked down 3rd Street, heading north. They returned a few minutes later with coffee, and the entire group left the scene. Despite the leader’s distinctive clothing—he was wearing a long trench coat, long white scarf, fedora-type hat, and walking with a cane—he has never been identified publicly. 

At approximately 1:00 p.m., the group of five returned to the scene and the presumed leader, now wearing a baseball cap, installed the final crossbeam and added the noose made of bright orange rope. Shortly after construction was complete, all five men left the grounds. 

Background

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol showed a video during its first hearing of protestors appearing to breach the Capitol chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” followed by an image of the gallows, which had been erected hundreds of yards away. The Select Committee overlapped these chants with the image of the gallows, implying the crowd of Trump supporters built the gallows as a threat of violence against then-Vice President Pence. Later, witness Cassidy Hutchinson told the Select Committee she overheard a conversation where Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said President Trump agreed with the chants to hang the Vice President.  

After January 6th, the noose from the gallows was recovered by an Australian journalist and turned over to the FBI. However, three years later, the FBI still has no suspects. Additionally, the Select Committee on January 6th seemingly did not review the USCP CCTV footage to identify the culprits behind the gallows, or if they did, they never released information about when the gallows were built and who built them—which can all be seen on CCTV footage from early in the morning on January 6.  

The Capitol Police Guidelines for Conducting an event on United States Capitol Grounds explicitly state, “(t)emporary structures of any kind may not be erected on Capitol Grounds,” which would imply that a gallows—a temporary structure—may not be allowed on Capitol Grounds and would immediately be addressed and/or removed once discovered. However, these gallows were left untouched by USCP officers from 6:00 a.m. on January 6 until later that evening.  

To date, the FBI has not named any suspects in this case.

Click here for pictures from our investigative findings.

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) issued a video message ahead of the Georgia March for Life to all those who would faithfully gather at the State Capitol in Atlanta on February 22nd. The event was sponsored by the Georgia Life Alliance.

"Life is the most precious gift that God has given to man, and it deserves the highest level of protection", said Rep. Loudermilk.

See the full video message here or click below.

This week, Rep. Loudermilk (GA-11) joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter to President Biden and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young urging the Biden Administration to withdraw the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule entitled "Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles," which would require 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 46% of medium-duty vehicles to be electric by 2032. This rule amounts to a de facto mandate for EVs and phase out of the internal combustion engine vehicle.

Nearly 140 of his House and Senate colleagues signed the letter.

In their letter, the lawmakers wrote that “This proposed rule, which would require 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 46% of medium-duty vehicles to be electric by 2032, amounts to a de facto mandate for EVs and phase out of the internal combustion engine vehicle. The U.S. House of Representatives, in a bipartisan manner, voted to overturn this burdensome rule in December (H.R. 4468), and similar efforts are currently being pursued in the Senate.”

“Additionally, this rule is contradictory to all conventional predictions about where the automobile industry is headed in the coming years, including this Administration’s own Department of Energy. As reported in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook in 2021, 4 of 5 new vehicles will still run on liquid fuels in 2050, making this rule not just absurd to the average citizen, but to your own agencies as well. In fact, recent reporting from sources inside your Administration indicates that EPA now intends to ease the rule’s requirements through 2030 to give automakers more time to comply. This again shows that even your own agencies know this mandate is absurd and unrealistic, and threatens to harm both industry and consumers,” the lawmakers added.

The lawmakers also noted that “The reality is that most Americans still prefer the internal combustion engine vehicle, and EPA’s proposed rule unnecessarily restricts consumer choice and forces expensive EVs onto Americans at a time when they can least afford it. Major U.S. automakers have recently lowered their targets and pulled back planned investments in EVs due to low consumer demand and struggling EV units. Further, automobile dealers across the country have said EVs continue to sit unpurchased on dealership lots, despite automakers accepting massive losses and unsustainable government incentives.”

Read the full letter here. 

This week, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11) joined a bipartisan, bicameral letter signed by 58 Members of Congress addressed to the Ambassador of Nicaragua expressing deep concerns regarding violations of religious freedom in Nicaragua and calling for the release of imprisoned pastors. 

In their letter, the lawmakers wrote, "As Members of the United States Congress, we have a vested interest in both the upholding of international religious freedom, and the safety and security of the American citizens we understand are currently being targeted for arrest and extradition by the Nicaraguan government.”

In December 2023, eleven Nicaraguan pastors and other individuals associated with Mountain Gateway – a Christian organization based in Texas with missionary presence in North and Central America – were arrested and imprisoned by the Nicaraguan government without access to legal counsel, understanding of the allegations against them, or documentation of their alleged criminal charges. Prior to this, Mountain Gateway had a longstanding and welcomed presence in Nicaragua.

The arrested and imprisoned people include a young mother of a newborn and a toddler, both of whom are Americans. She has not been allowed any contact with her children since December.  

Subsequent to the arrests of Nicaraguan nationals, the Ortega regime issued warrants for the arrest of the American leadership of Mountain Gateway, Jon Britton Hancock and his son and daughter-in-law Jacob and Cassandra Hancock. 

This targeted action follows a pattern by the Nicaraguan government, including the arrests of several members of the Catholic Church, Red Cross, and other non-governmental organizations in recent years.

Read the full letter here. 

Conservative Brief:  

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) tore into the Nancy Pelosi-picked Select Committee on January 6 for reportedly deleting or password-protecting some 2 terabytes worth of data just days before Republicans took over the House a year ago.

Earlier this week, the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, responsible for investigating both the 2021 Capitol riot and the prior Democrat-led inquiry into the riot, discovered that during the chamber’s transition to GOP control in January 2023, over 100 files were encrypted and deleted from hard drives, the New York Post reported.

The Select Committee was expected to provide Republican Chairman Barry Loudermilk of Georgia with four terabytes of archived data. The outlet, however, reported that his committee only received two terabytes of data.

READ MORE

NBC News: 

Some House lawmakers wait their entire political careers to reach one of the pinnacles of power on Capitol Hill: seizing a coveted committee gavel.

That’s why it sent shockwaves around Capitol Hill this month when not one, but three Republican committee chairmen — Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mike Gallagher and Mark Green, members in their prime who had not yet hit party term limits for their posts — announced in rapid succession that they were calling it quits. McMorris Rodgers, of Washington, and Green, of Tennessee, are in their 50s, while Gallagher, of Wisconsin, is not yet 40.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who was elected a decade ago, said he’s decided to run for re-election, in part, so he can continue his investigation into the Jan. 6 committee. But he said it’s no secret why many of his colleagues are heading for the exits.

“There is a level of frustration being here right now, I think, that’s unprecedented,” Loudermilk said in an interview. “Especially when you’re in the majority and we’re still having this much struggle getting some things done that normally we would be able to push through our agenda and then go to fight with the Senate. There’s some that are just like, ‘Is it worth it being here, to go through this?’"

“I do get that from a lot of the people that are retiring before they would have normally done,” Loudermilk added. “Especially when you’ve got folks that have been here for less time than I have that are starting to bail.”

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